A note from the writer: As a formerly incarcerated woman and now a criminal justice reform activist, I was overwhelmed with emotion when I first read about Proposition 57. I immediately thought of my older brother, who at 17 was sentenced as an adult to life in prison. When I lost him to the system, I also lost a part of myself. My life was forever changed. It’s an experience that George Galvis, the executive director of Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ), and Frankie Guzman, the Juvenile Justice Staff Attorney at the National Center for Youth Law, know all too well. The pair formed part of a team that drafted the legislation and say it will overturn decades of CA policy that criminalize youth.

From a recent conversation where young people where either too young to vote and following the election to a newly registered voter uncertain of whether to vote or not, Diane Solomon was inspired to reach out with a letter to young folks about their impact on the future of California at the voting booth.